First of all, I expected the front end to wander on steep climbs, but it stuck, no wandering. This has a lot to do with the steep seat tube. It felt very efficient without any discernable bottom bracket flex. I expected this because the tubes Kona uses are fatter than my old Niner MCR 9. This frame weighs 5.75lbs. where the Niner 853 steel frame weighed 4.5lbs. and doesn't have sliding dropouts. For my weight, about 200lbs., the MCR 9 was nooodly, but comfortable. I felt it absorbed a lot of my pedaling power and the head tube was extremely flexy. The Honzo is a stout frame, and I don't think you can achieve that without it weighing more. I don't notice the weight, but I do notice the power transfer and SOLID feel of the frame. Also, I expected to dab the more technical sections because I'm not tuned to this bike yet, but I cleaned them all.

After reaching the top we lowered our seats and headed back. The words that comes to mind descending on this bike are INSANELY FAWKING AWESOME. Because of the short chain stays, the bike corners like a roller coaster doing a 180. The Honzo's geometry positions you over the rear tire and the pivot point of the bike in the turns. I'm not much of a downhiller, but I was flying and not worrying about any ruts or rocks because the fork and frame just swallowed them up, very confidence inspiring. The chain stays also make coming off jumps more intuitive. With Niner's geometry I always felt like I was waiting for the rear tire when popping off curbs and jumps, but the Kona feels right on.

This is the best bike I have ever owned, period. If you're worried about frame weight, you could save about 1/4-1/2 lb. going with a Canfield Nimble 9. The geometries with 120mm forks are almost identical, but the Nimble 9 has a slacker seat tube, which may affect climbing, and it does not accommodate a tapered fork, two things I really love about the Honzo.

Somebody on here weighed a medium at 5 pounds 13 ounces. That weight is fine with me considering comparable frames like the Nimble 9 are only a 1/4-1/2 pound lighter. I think the weight difference is due to the different diameter/size tubing on the seat, down, and top tubes. All three tubes on the Honzo are fatter, but since I'm 200lbs. I appreciate the durability, sturdiness, and stiffness they create. If you're lighter you may want to build up something else. I love hove the frame feels because it's stiff with the perfect amount of compliance.

These builds look great. italiancarbs, I'll ask you the same question I ask all Honzo owners... what size tire are you running on the rear and does it look like you have enough room to comfortably run a 2.35 or 2.4?

These builds look great. italiancarbs, I'll ask you the same question I ask all Honzo owners... what size tire are you running on the rear and does it look like you have enough room to comfortably run a 2.35 or 2.4?

Thanks.
The one you see in these pics on the rear is a Bontrager 2.2 (cut at the first downhill, now I am running a Nobby Evo). For sure the frame can run more than that and I believe that Kona is selling the complete bike with 2.4 front & rear.....

Thanks.
The one you see in these pics on the rear is a Bontrager 2.2 (cut at the first downhill, now I am running a Nobby Evo). For sure the frame can run more than that and I believe that Kona is selling the complete bike with 2.4 front & rear.....

...

Not quite. 2.25 rear and there's not much room left for anything else.

20L Garage Queen Pics

Here she is, virgin photo shoot.
Build weight 29.6 lbs. I was hoping for under 30 lbs for psychological reasons.

Did a shake down ride and all was glorious as expected during the honeymoon period.

First the pros:

1. Short stays make the bike super playfull! Every rock presents an opportunity to air and tail whip. I was able to perform a proper bunnyhop for the first time!

2. Climbing was as good as could be expected for the weight and gearing. Standing climbing traction was very good due to the short stays.

3. XT 10 speed shifting was smooth! Coming from Sram X.9, I was blown away by the light touch and precision. It also allows multiple shifts up/down per stroke.

Nitpicks:
1. Low BB height was kind of a bummer. With a 140 Marz 44, it was around 12.3" unsagged. Going my Waltworks at ~13.5", I was hitting every rogue rock (running 180 cranks). Overall I prefer a 13"+ BB.

4. I crashed (not the bike's fault) carrying a bit too much speed into a rock garden. Ice on the knee as we speak..

Overall, I was pretty stoked with the bike. Overall head angle seemed close to my Waltworks w/ 120 minute, which surprised me. However, I was running a lot of sag on the Marz, since I was originally planning on running it at 120. I'll have to get a protractor to measure the actual HA.

The toptube felt every bit as long as the 26" claimed. I was expecting it to be shorter based on the actual tube measurements. Will probably run a 60mm stem.

The biggest difference between the bikes is the short rear end of the Honzo, which makes for a playfull ride. Thats why I bought it!

Looks good, but hopefully Kona gets the memo and increases that rear chainstay clearance for much bigger tires on the 2013 Honzo. It would be a killer frame with 2.4 Ardents all around. I've never been one to mix tire widths.

Really???

Originally Posted by eurospek

Looks good, but hopefully Kona gets the memo and increases that rear chainstay clearance for much bigger tires on the 2013 Honzo. It would be a killer frame with 2.4 Ardents all around. I've never been one to mix tire widths.

If a 2.4 Ardent doesn't fit (surprised since the side knob of the Hans is more aggressive and the air volume is huge) you could always lengthen the wheelbase a slight bit; definitely not an issue that warrants a redesign.

For that matter, if you like the Ardent I would challenge you to try a Specialized Eskar or a Schwalbe Hans Dampf. At least around here (Pacific North West) either tire is better in EVERY way.